A former Wellesley High School assistant track coach, who is also a former Harvard University track coach, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Boston to possession of child pornography.

Walter Johnson, 71, of Framingham, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Sept. 10, 2019.

In January 2017, an investigation began into child pornography being traded by a Craigslist user. The investigation led to Johnson, a track coach at Wellesley High School and a former Harvard University track coach. During a search of Johnson’s home in Framingham, images and videos of child pornography were found on his computer and on a thumb drive hidden in his bedroom. He was arrested on scene and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury.

The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and the Framingham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Lelling’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

From the Dartmouth Police Department:

“Dispatch just notified me that they have fielded numerous calls this evening from citizens reporting that they received a call from the “Dartmouth Police Department.” According to the information gathered by our dispatchers, though the reporting parties caller ID’s displayed “Dartmouth Police Department,” the corresponding telephone number(s) DID NOT match any numbers associated with our department.

If you receive one of these calls, you SHOULD treat it like any other scam, and we recommend that you do the following:

Report the calls to your local police department

Do not call the number back

Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. If you answer such a call, hang up immediately.
If you answer the phone and the caller – or a recording – asks you to hit a button to stop getting the calls, you should just hang up. Scammers often use this trick to identify potential targets.

Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with “Yes” or “No.”

Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden names, passwords or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.

If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book, or on the company’s or government agency’s website to verify the authenticity of the request. You will usually get a written statement in the mail before you get a phone call from a legitimate source, particularly if the caller is asking for a payment.

Use caution if you are being pressured for information immediately.

If you have a voice mail account with your phone service, be sure to set a password for it. Some voicemail services are preset to allow access if you call in from your own phone number. A hacker could spoof your home phone number and gain access to your voice mail if you do not set a password.

Talk to your phone company about call blocking tools they may have and check into apps that you can download to your mobile device to block unwanted calls.

Information on available robocall blocking tools is available at fcc.gov/robocalls.”

A career criminal with a 17-page record who broke into numerous buildings in New Bedford last August was sentenced to serve four to seven-and-a-half years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Jason Fleck, 43, of New Bedford pleaded guilty last week in Fall River Superior Court to indictments charging him with breaking and entering, malicious destruction of property, breaking into a depository, assault and battery of a police officer, possession of burglarious tools, and two counts of larceny from a building.

The defendant stood accused of breaking into five building during a two-week time span last August at the Hillside Court housing complex, the County Launderette and the Northstar Learning Center.

During the last break-in on August 27 at just before 11 p.m., New Bedford Police received multiple alarms for the lower floor of 53 Linden St, which is the NorthStar Learning Center. When police arrived, a resident told them that residents were chasing a strange male into the basement.

Police found the inner door broken into, a safe deposit box broken open and checks and money orders strewn about. When police entered the basement area they spotted the suspect and yelled for him to surrender. The defendant, however, immediately fled into another room and locked the door behind him. A lone New Bedford Police officer was able to gain entry into the room and found the defendant struggling to escape through a now broken window. The defendant ran at the officer and a struggle ensued. After several failed attempts to subdue the defendant, a second officer was forced to tase the defendant. However, despite being tased, the defendant continued to struggle with the officers and attempted to take the taser before finally relenting.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jeanne Veenstra and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge William Sullivan. The defendant has previously served committed jail and/or prison time for at least five other breaking and entering convictions dating back to 1997.

“This is a career criminal who continues to break into and enter people’s property with impunity. When arrested, he was so out of control, he had to be tased and subdued before being taken into custody,” District Attorney Quinn said. “At the age of 43, he simply has to be kept off the streets.”

On Saturday, June 8th, at approximately 5:00 pm, New Bedford Police responded to Hazelwood Park, in the South End of the city on a complaint of a male who attempted to lure a 5-year-old child away from the area.

Police met with the child’s mother, who stated her child was in the playground area, when a male confronted the 5-year-old and asked the child to accompany him to another location. The child ran away from the male and informed the mother.

The male immediately left the area and was not located. The description provided at this time was a light-skinned male, possibly in his mid-twenties, wearing light brown pants, a ball cap, and sunglasses, and pulling some sort of cooler.

The New Bedford Police Department is actively investigating this incident and are prioritizing this reported incident. Anyone with any information regarding this male and the incident, please contact the Juvenile Detective Division at (508) 991-6300, ext. 79540.

Five individuals targeted during a joint child pornography investigation involving numerous law enforcement agencies have been arrested during the past two months, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

The joint investigation was spearheaded by Taunton Police Officer Randy DeMello, who is a Homeland Security Investigations task force officer. The Boston Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations Cyber Crime Unit was our partner, assisting in the pre-warrant investigation, administrative subpoenas, warrant execution, and device examination. Local police departments from Bristol County and the Massachusetts State Police’s Computer Crimes Unit also participated in this extensive investigation.

These law enforcement agencies conducted an investigation into those who possessed and/or shared child pornography over the Internet. Our office, through the work of Assistant District Attorney Casey Smith, oversaw the investigation, brought various law enforcement agencies together and assisted local agencies in their warrant applications.

“This is an example of bringing various law enforcement agencies together to target and combat a very serious issue in our country,” District Attorney Quinn said. “We will continue to work together to apprehend individuals who possess and disseminate child pornography for their own personal gratification.”

As a result of the investigation, five defendant have been placed under arrest:

1. Christopher Dahlbeck, 31, of Attleboro, was arrested on April 10 after a search warrant was executed at his home. Multiple videos involving child pornography were found on his computer. He was arraigned in Attleboro District Court on charges of possession of child pornography and dissemination of child pornography. His bail was set at $1,000 and he was ordered to be fitted for a GPS monitoring device if he posts bail. He is prohibited from being near any schools or playgrounds, must have no contact with any children and must not use the Internet.

2. Bernard Croteau, 64, of Fairhaven, was arrested on April 11 after a search warrant was executed at his home. He was arraigned in New Bedford District Court on charges of possessing child pornography and disseminating child pornography. This defendant is alleged to have shared numerous files of child pornography, some involving child rape scenes. An SD card found in his home also contained videos of young female children being sexually assaulted. His bail was set at $10,000 and he was further ordered to have contact with children and is prohibited from using the Internet.

3. Brent Rainey, 49, of Fall River was arrested April 18 after a search warrant was executed at his home. He was arraigned in Fall River District Court on charges of possessing child pornography and disseminating child pornography. His bail was set at $1,000. He was ordered to be fitted with a GPS monitoring device if he posted bail, was ordered to not use the Internet and have no contact with children. Police found sozens of filed depicting child pornography on his laptop. That computer and several other digital devices were seized and are still being analyzed at this time.

4. Stephen Nazario, 50, of Fall River, was arrested April 25 after a search warrant was executed at his home. The defendant was arraigned in Fall River District Court on two counts of possessing child pornography. His bail was set at $5,000 and he was also ordered to be fitted with a GPS monitoring device if he posted bail. If freed on bail, he is also ordered to abide by a 6 pm to 5 am curfew, have no contact with children and not use the Internet. The defendant’s cell phone housed numerous images of a children engaged in sex acts and posing in the nude. A preview of his laptop also revealed in excess of 1,000 images and videos of children engaging in sex with adults. All devices were seized for further analysis.

5. Allen Fumo, 44, of New Bedford, was arrested June 4 after a search warrant was executed at his home. The defendant was arraigned in New Bedford District Court on two counts of possessing child pornography and one count of disseminating child pornography. More than 1,000 images of child pornography were found during the execution of the warrant. Bail was set at $10,000. The defendant was ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device and remain in home confinement if he posts the bail.

A habitual offender who was convicted this week of a Seekonk armed robbery was sentenced to serve seven years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Sidney Ingram, 41, of Dorchester, pleaded guilty this week in Fall River Superior Court to an indictment charging him with armed robbery (habitual offender).

In October of 2014, the defendant entered a Staples office supply store in Seekonk and picked up numerous “Beats by Dre” headphones and an Apple IPAD. The defendant calmly walked to the counter and told the worker he had a gun and then left the store without paying. He got in a car and sped off.

The defendant was stopped by police in Warren, RI later that same evening after a BOLO issued for his vehicle. Police found all the stolen items in the car.

He spent several months in a Rhode Island jail after refusing to agree to be extradited back to Massachusetts, which caused lengthy delays in the prosecution of the case.

The defendant has been convicted and served jail time on at least three separate robberies in Bristol County, Norfolk County, and Middlesex County.

“The defendant is a career criminal who did everything he could to hinder and obstruct his return to Mass to face these charges. Working with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office, we were eventually able to have him returned to Massachusetts and be held accountable for another crime of violence. This is another dangerous defendant who does not belong out in the street,” District Attorney Quinn said.

A 34-year-old Taunton man who assaulted his girlfriend at gunpoint in January of 2017 was convicted in Superior Court this week on several indictments and sentenced to serve three to five years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Preston Jackson pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court to charges of assault and battery of a family or household member, assault with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, kidnapping, unlawful possession of a loaded firearm, violation of a restraining order and witness intimidation.

On January 17, 2017, at around 1:30 a.m., the defendant broke into his girlfriend’s apartment while brandishing a firearm. The defendant apparently believed another man was in the apartment with his girlfriend. After breaking in, the defendant woke the victim by physically dragging her out of bed. He then began searching the house while pointing a gun at her head. The defendant fired one shot behind the bed, erroneously believing someone was hiding there. The defendant then forced the victim into his car and drove to Brockton. During the ride, he stated numerous times that he was going to kill her. While stopped for gas, the victim was able to escape from the vehicle, flee the area and contact police.

During the pendency of the case, while the defendant was held as a danger to the community, he called the victim on the phone numerous times and screamed at her to contact the prosecutor in the case and tell the prosecutor that she lied and made the whole story up.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Melissa Hendrie and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge William Sullivan.

“This is another example of senseless violence that endangers the lives of the victim and the community at large,” District Attorney Quinn said. “This case also highlights the importance of detaining dangerous defendants without bail prior to trial, and not releasing them back into the community to commit more crimes.”

A retired Massachusetts State Police (MSP) Lieutenant and a suspended MSP Trooper were sentenced Tuesday, June 4 in connection with the ongoing investigation of overtime abuse at the state agency.

Retired MSP Lieutenant David Wilson, 58, of Charlton, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to one day (deemed served), two years of supervised release with the first six months to be served in home detention, and restitution of $12,450. Suspended MSP Trooper Heath McAuliffe, 41, of Hopkinton, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper to one day (deemed served), one year of supervised release with the first six months to be served in home detention, a fine of $4,000, and restitution of $7,860. Wilson and McAuliffe previously pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds. The government recommended six months incarceration for both Wilson and McAuliffe.

Wilson, who served as the Officer-in-Charge of several overtime shifts, received overtime pay for shifts from which he left early or did not work at all. Specifically, in 2016, Wilson earned approximately $259,475, which included approximately $102,062 in overtime pay. During that year, the investigation revealed that Wilson earned approximately $12,450 in overtime pay for 124.5 AIRE overtime hours that he did not work.

In 2016, McAuliffe, who was assigned to Troop E, which was responsible for enforcing criminal and traffic regulations along the Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate I-90, earned approximately $164,680, which included approximately $60,908 in overtime pay. In 2015, McAuliffe earned approximately $180,215, which included approximately $83,496 in overtime pay.

The conduct involves overtime pay for selective enforcement initiatives, specifically the Accident and Injury Reduction Effort program (AIRE), which is intended to reduce accidents, crashes, and injuries on I-90 through an enhanced presence of MSP Troopers and targeting vehicles traveling at excessive speeds.

Wilson and McAuliffe were required to work the entire duration of the four hour shift and truthfully report the date, time and sector of deployment on the citations issued during the shift. However, Wilson and McAuliffe admitted that they had been paid for hours they did not work, and for overtime shifts from which they left early. Wilson and McAuliffe concealed the fraud by submitting false paperwork and citations that were issued outside of the overtime shifts and that had been altered to create the appearance that they were issued during overtime shifts.

In 2016, MSP received annual benefits from the U.S. Department of Transportation in excess of $10,000, which were funded pursuant to numerous federal grants.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Douglas Shoemaker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin Chao and Mark Grady of Lelling’s Public Corruption Unit are prosecuting the case.

During the month of May 2019, Wareham Police Detectives received information from various sources reporting the sale of illegal drug paraphernalia at Route 6 Fuel, located at the corner of Marion Road and Swifts Beach Road. Further information was that with special code words, the clerk would give you a small glass pipe and a piece of copper pad, commonly used for smoking crack cocaine.

At about 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 4, a Wareham Police Detective went into the business in an undercover capacity and used the special code for the purchase of the drug paraphernalia. The clerk told the officer that he would have to put the items in a bag and accepted money for them.

Once the purchase was made other officers entered the store and placed the clerk under arrest. John Amaral, 57, of North Dartmouth, is charged with possession with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia.

While the officers were on location the manager of the business arrived and was also placed under arrest. Mohammad Iqbal, 58, of New Bedford, is charged with possession with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia and operating after suspension of his driver’s license.

Wareham Police Officers seized over 30 glass pipes, and multiple copper pads. Both males were taken to the police station and booked before being brought to Wareham District Court.

Massachusetts State Police and Holyoke Police, along with members of a gang task force, arrested two men on cocaine and heroin charges during a raid Friday, and additionally charged one of them with ammunition offenses after finding 148 bullets in boxes concealed in a sock on his bedroom floor.

Troopers from the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit, local officers, and members of the FBI Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force executed a search warrant on the second floor of 561 South Summer St., Holyoke, pursuant to an investigation into heroin distribution from that apartment.

Upon arriving at that location police observed multiple surveillance cameras on the outside of the target apartment. When no one answered the door, Troopers and officers made a forced entry and located two suspects in separate bedrooms: JUAN PACHECO, 33, and HERMAN GOMEZ, 19, both residents of the apartment.

Inside a pill bottle that PACHECO was carrying police found several twisted pieces of plastic baggies containing suspected crack cocaine, another zip baggie containing suspected crack cocaine, and 15 baggies, each stamped with the words “Frosted Flakes” in blue ink, containing a tan-colored powder suspected to be heroin.

Holyoke Police K9 Officer Matthew Welch and his partner Ryker performed a search of the apartment. Ryker demonstrated a response when he sniffed the dresser in suspect GOMEZ’s bedroom. In a small box atop the dresser, Troopers and officers found seven baggies containing a tan-colored granular substance believed to be heroin. Each of those baggies was stamped in blue ink with the word “Deadline.”

Under that same dresser – which had drawn Ryker’s attention – police found several small zip baggies containing a white powder believed to be cocaine.

Troopers and officers also located, inside of a sock on GOMEZ’s bedroom floor, two opened boxes of .22 caliber ammunition, containing a total of 148 rounds. One other bullet, a .45 caliber, was on the dresser. GOMEZ does not have a Firearm Identification Card, which is required by law to possess ammunition. As well, a total of $10,900 cash was found in the men’s rooms.

No items found in the apartment suggested that either suspect personally used the drugs that were found. Police observed that the video surveillance system set up at the residence included three cameras on the front of the building and one other on the rear.

The suspects were transported to the Holyoke Police Department for booking.

JUAN PACHECO was charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute, subsequent offense; possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, subsequent offense; and conspiracy to violate narcotics law.

HERMAN GOMEZ was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute; possession of heroin with intent to distribute; unlawful possession of ammunition; and conspiracy to violate narcotics law.

Additionally, PACHECO is currently on probation from Hampden Superior Court, while GOMEZ has pending cases in Holyoke District Court for firearm and ammunition crimes.

Participating in the investigation and arrests were members of the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit’s West Team, Holyoke Police Department, Easthampton Police Department, and the FBI Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force.